


The Daily Grind

by orphan_account



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7109650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt Hummel is a bored barista, and Sebastian never gets off his phone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Daily Grind

**Author's Note:**

> Months and months ago I saw some silly post about "meet cute ideas when your otp are dicks" or something, and I couldn't stop thinking about this, so I finally wrote it.
> 
> It's not that serious, I just wanted to write _something_ to hopefully ease some of the writer's block I've been having.

It isn’t his fault. He _tried_  to be nice that first time. And sure, Kurt has a reputation as being a bit of a diva, a bit catty, but _honestly._

This guy just radiates _douchebag_ , with his black-suit-with-red-tie outfit screaming _I think I’m way more important than you’ll ever be_ , his arrogant facial expression, the stupid Bluetooth in his ear –

But this is Kurt’s job. He still has to _try_.

“Welcome to The Daily Grind,” Kurt starts, forcing a smile, “what can I–”

The customer doesn’t even pause the conversation he’s having over his Bluetooth. “Yeah, no – I mean, tell him we’ll talk about it at the next–”

He makes eye contact with Kurt and sighs loudly. “Hold on a second, Derek,” he says, annoyed, before quickly rattling off to Kurt, “I’ll have a large medium roast, room for cream and sugar,” then continuing with his phone call.

He’s still prattling on about some stupid deal and Kurt just looks at him and says, a little louder than normal, not even waiting for a pause in the customer’s conversation, “Can I get a name for the order?”

“Sebastian,” the customer says, before handing over a few ones and walking away from the counter, muttering, “Sorry Derek, this barista is being a dick,” into his Bluetooth.

Kurt stares after him, but Sebastian is facing away from him and looks totally engrossed in his phone call. After a few seconds, he snaps out of it and turns to make the coffee.

He picks up the cup, scribbling _Sebstain_ on it with his marker, and then fills the cup all the way, until it’s nearly overflowing.

Sebastian doesn’t notice, too distracted by his call, until he pulls off the lid at the cream and sugar counter, spilling coffee on his hand. Kurt can hear him curse over his call, angrily shaking the coffee off his hand.

It’s the biggest smile Kurt’s had all day.

 

 

Douchebag McBluetooth comes back the next day, too, in an equally obnoxious suit and still on the phone.

“Welcome to The Da–”

“Large medium roast, room for cream and sugar.” Sebastian says. “No, Grant, we can’t justify switching half of our clients to a new meter, it takes too much training to –”

“A name for the order?” Kurt interrupts, smiling sweetly.

“Sebastian. No – no I was ordering a coffee. You’re not listening. They’ve been using the Next meter for _years,_  there’s no…”

Kurt tunes out after Sebastian hands him a few dollars, again not bothering with the actual cost of the coffee or ridiculous things like _change._ He scribbles “Sebchin” on the cup before filling it with their darkest roast coffee. He left plenty of room for milk and sugar this time.

“Large medium roast for Sebchin,” Kurt announces, though Sebastian is the only one waiting for a drink. Sebastian scoffs and rolls his eyes, but grabs the coffee all the same.

It’s quiet enough that Kurt has time to watch as Sebastian adds cream and sugar to his coffee, his back turned to Kurt. Kurt regrets that he can’t see Sebastian’s face as he sips the coffee, but he doesn’t miss the disgusted grunt he makes.

“No, no, I wasn’t – no, it’s just that this dickhead barista gave me dark roast.”

 

 

_Sebchin_  comes in the next day, too. And the day after that. It’s the highlight of Kurt’s morning. He writes a different name on the cup each day, each a further misspelling of Sebastian, and screws up his coffee order just enough that he knows Sebastian doesn’t think it’s worth his _ever-so-valuable_  time to bring it back.

It’s a fun game he plays with himself, seeing how far he can push it.

Sebastian’s always in a call, always looking vaguely annoyed, and Kurt still greets him the same way.

“Welcome to The Daily Grind,” Kurt starts with a smile a week or so after Sebastian’s first appearance at the cafe. “What –”

“Large medium roast,” Sebastian says, even more annoyed than he’d been the day before.

“Can I get a name for the order?”

Sebastian just glares at him and Kurt just smiles back, just _daring_  him to make some comment about how he knows Kurt remembers his name.

“Sebastian,” he says, but his voice is rushed as he pulls out a few bills and hands them to Kurt.

A minute later, with a large medium roast coffee in his hand (with a perfect amount of space left for cream and sugar), Kurt walks over to the counter. 

“Medium roast for Chad,” he announces, reading the name off the side of the cup.

Sebastian looks around, as if trying to identify anyone named _Chad_  that could be waiting for an identical coffee order, before cluing in.

He grabs the cup from Kurt’s hand so hard Kurt’s surprised it doesn’t spill, shoots him another glare, but doesn’t miss a beat in his phone call.

 

 

It takes a while for Kurt to realize that it’s more than just schadenfreude motivating him screwing with Sebastian each day. Douchebag suits aside, he’s pretty handsome, and if Kurt watches his ass a little too long while he’s leaning over the cream and sugar counter, well, nobody needs to know.

He’s worried one day he’ll go too far and Sebastian will stop coming, but he doesn’t.

One day, Sebastian comes in, silent. At first, Kurt just assumes he’s listening to someone for a long time on his Bluetooth, but the thing isn’t even in his ear.

“Morning,” Kurt smiles at him as Sebastian approaches the counter, deviating from his normal script. “Large medium roast?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Sebastian says, looking a little thrown off. There seems to be less urgency today, and Sebastian seems almost _sad._

“For Sebastian, yeah?” Kurt says, ringing in his order.

“Right,” Sebastian confirms. 

Kurt takes the few dollars Sebastian hands him, then turns around to make his coffee. He writes _Sebastian_  on it in the neatest writing he can and fills it with the fresh pot of medium roast he’d just prepared (but honestly hadn’t been planning on letting Sebastian have).

Sebastian takes the cup from Kurt when he hands it to him, looking almost a little defeated.

“Rough night?” Kurt quips.

“Rougher morning,” Sebastian says, and Kurt is almost taken aback by his honesty. “And yeah, maybe I wouldn’t have fucked up that conference call so badly if I hadn’t been out so late at _Sca_ –”

Sebastian pauses, almost looking mortified, and Kurt just stares at him, hoping the delight isn’t too evident on his face.

There’s no way he didn’t interrupt himself saying _Scandals_ , the shadiest gay bar on this side of Manhattan. Douchebag McBluetooth is _gay,_ and he just confessed a _real feeling_  to Kurt.

Sebastian takes his coffee, his cheeks a little flushed, and leaves the coffeeshop.

 

 

Asshole McBusinessSuit doesn’t come by the next day.

 

 

It’s almost a week before Kurt sees Sebastian (or Sebstain, Sebchin, or Chad) at The Daily Grind.

He’s on the phone again.

Kurt doesn’t greet him this time, just gives him a small and sincere smile and thumbs up, letting him know he remembers his name and his coffee order. Kurt knows that screwing with him is probably not going to help Sebastian feel more comfortable after his accidental confession from the week before.

Sebastian gives him a grateeful smile and pulls out a few ones, and Kurt turns around to make his coffee.

He actually tries not to screw it up but the urge got the better of him. He’s not a perfect man.

He hands over the cup when he’s finished, having written _Hope your week’s been okay so far_ instead of his name.

He’s busy enough that he – regrettably – can’t afford to watch Sebastian go to add cream and sugar, but he knows Sebastian will be back eventually. He’s helping the next customer in line by the time it happens.

The sound of a cup slamming down on the counter would have startled Kurt if he hadn’t been waiting for it. “This isn’t what I ordered.”

Kurt doesn’t turn away from the lady at the cash register, instead saying, “It’ll be down at the end in a moment, have a nice day.” He deposits her cash in the register before turning, calmly, to Sebastian.

“The Bluetooth turns off!” Kurt quips, noticing that Sebastian must have ended his call when he noticed Kurt screwed up his order.

“This isn’t what I ordered,” Sebastian repeats.

“You didn’t order anything, actually,” Kurt points out.

“You know it’s medium roast.”

“Not a chai latte? I could have sworn it was a chai latte.”

Sebastian glares at him.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll make another one. It’s Stan, right?”

“You are possibly the most insufferable person I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing,” Sebastian retorts.

“You keep coming back here,” Kurt says, pouring Sebastian’s coffee, “and I know it isn’t because the coffee’s good because I screw it up more often than I get it right.”

He fits the lid on and sets it down on the counter in front of Sebastian. “Which leads me to think there’s another reason you come around so often.”

He sees Sebastian eyes widen, his cheeks slightly flush.

“The ambiance? You don’t usually stay longer than a few minutes. The music? No, you could never hear it over your calls. I figure it’s not our biscotti because you only ever order your coffee…”

Sebastian shakes his head. “Would you stop? Fuck you’re annoying.”

Kurt just smiles at him.

“ _Fine,”_ Sebastian says, sighing. “Want to get a drink sometime?”

“I’d love to.”


End file.
